The Driver of the Aegis
by DSpaceZ
Summary: Someone who lost everything gets transported into the world of Alrest. He decides to become the Driver of the Aegis in order to protect those who are dear to him. With the power of the Aegis by his side, can he do it? Or will the darkness in his heart consume him first?
1. Chapter 1

"Huh?" I asked myself looking where i was. Which was basically darkness because there was nothing. "Did i die?" Memories of what happened before this came back to me.

I was laying in my room playing videogames. My parents came in and started talking about how my grades were dropping. They scolded me by saying i was lazy and if i kept this up, i wouldnt go anywhere in life. In a fit of rage, i said some pretty nasty things to them and ran out the door. After running for a while, i walked back, feeling guilty. They were my parents and they were just worried about me. Unfortunately, when i got back, our house was on fire. I ran towards the house blindly, trying to save them. The firemen tried to stop me, but i evaded them na ran inside. I see or breath in there, so it was a matter of time before i blacked out, but not before seeing a large pillar of flamin wood going straight towards my face.

"So i died. And this is probably hell." I sighed. "Its not like i didnt deserve this, but i was hoping hell wasnt a freaking void!"

Before i could continue talking myself like a lunatic, a bright light filled my vision. On instinct, i covered my eyes. When the light died down, i was to look at what caused it. In front of me was a screen saying 'Choose your New Life'.

"What the hell?" I said. "What is this?"

As i looked closer to the screen, there was something else on screen. Categories. Books,Videogames, TV Shows, Anime, Comics, Movies and much more. Me, being the gaming fan boy that i am, touched the Gaming category. The other categories disappeared and a list appeared before me. I gave it a quick spin and noticed some familiar names like Final Fantasy or Pokemon since they had the most amount of names.

"Hmm?" I scratched my chin in thought. "So apparently i can choose a new world for me to reincarnate in. But which one? Well there was this recente game i bought that i just finished and it would be nice to be in that world." I said as i passed through the list as i arrived where i wanted.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

I pressed it and the screen disappeared.

Then the whole void was filled with light, blinding me.

My eyes opened slowly as they adjusted to the light of the room.

_"Was it a dream?" _I thought while taking my surroudings. I was in a room, but definitely not mine. The halls and the floor were made out of wood opposed to the normal type of walls you see nowadays. I was laying in a bed without my shirt on. Before i could look around any further, the door to the room opened and an elderly woman entered.

"Oh thank god you are awake!" She said smiling. She had a protective aura around her, like i could tell her everything.

"How did i get here?" I asked.

"We found you passed out in the beach right outside the village. You were wet so we assumed the waves brought you here."

"Oh. Thank you for helping me." I nodded to her.

"Oh dont thank me. Thank Rex for finding you." She said.

I froze. _Rex_. I thought. "If its alright with you miss, can i talk to this Rex fella? I would like to thank him in person."

The woman nodded "Of course, dear. But call me Corrine." With that she left.

_Corrine. _Another familiar name. _Did i really get transported into the world of Xenoblade? _I thought. Not long after that, the door opened and Corrine came back along with a small child, no older than 12 years old. At first, it didnt seem like him, but that hair and those golden eyes cant lie.

In front of me was none other than Rex.

Rex smiled at me. "THank god you are awake. I was so scared when i found you in the beach." He said, sighing in relief.

"Well thank you Rex, i honestly dont know how i got there, but thank you for saving a total stranger." I thanked him.

"Well, i cant possibly leave someone when they need help!" Rex pouted at me.

Me and Corrine chuckled. _Even at that age, he is still kind. _I got up and streched my limbs, a few popping sounds being heard.

"By the way, what is your name? Mine is Rex, as you know." Rex asked me while he put hsi hand out.~

I took his hand shook it. "My name is Raiden." I said.

A few years have passed since i got in this world. I stayed at Fonsett for the first year trying to figure out what to do with my life. The plot only started 5 years later, so i could relax a little bit as well. I thought on what to do: should i join one of the armies, like Uraya or Mor Adain? I couldnt because i could potentially be away from the plot itself or i could die at the hands of Torna if i get a big reputation. Im not crazy enough to fight Jin with a pistol! I wasnt going to settle down in a Titan because thats not what i came here for. Then i realized something. With my knowledge of the game, i could save people that died in the game like Vandham or Haze. But for that to happen, i needed to be as close to the plot as possible. Which meant one thing.

I had to become the Aegis Driver.

Now dont get me wrong, Rex is a great protagonist, but i dont want him to get mixed up in this mess. The game might goa bit different now that im here, so i dont know if he might die.

So, for the remainder of my stay in Fonsett, i learned the basics on how to become a salvager. The type of gear, how the the Cloud Sea works. Like i said. The basics.

I was pretty sad to leave Rex and the others. That kid can make the cutest pouts and puppy eyes. I can see why he got such an harém. So i made him a promise that we will meet again. That made him happy again as he watched me leave the village. I decided that i should try and learn what i can about salvaging besides the basics before actually trying and finding Pyra. Luckily, a ship of salvagers was at the docks so i just took a ride and learned what i could. After 2 years, i was able to become a salvager on my own. And now…

"Fucking finally…" I said. "Alrest is HUGE! I think i only covered like 20% in these two years!" I yelled. I spent the last two years searching for the ship and finally i found it.

I was in a Titan ship that i bought for myself. I needed a place to stay and a moving house is always nice. It wasnt anything fancy. Just a hut that i can sleep in and an anchor for when i salvage something big.

Now you may be wondering how im going to get to the ship if it took a team of salvagers to get it to the surface. Its simple really. I remembered how they did it, using some cylinders to make them float. By grabbing one of them and after a few attempts (and almost getting my head blown off a few times…), i was able to create this.

It was a small tube that was the size of my two hands, but the real trick was when it was placed. It expanded and created a small and really tight hole that you could crawl through. The entrace is the hard to enter since it needs to be almost closed or it will flood, but if you put your whole body in there, you are safe to go. The other end has a small lighter that makes circle around the area it contacts with and closes it with a special formula that instantly turns solid after contact with the cloud underwater, which i found out is not water but rather a mass of clouds that makes it look like water.

"It took me a while, but i finally got here. Better get my salvager suit." I started to puto n my suit, which was like Rex, only dark red. The helmet made it hard to breath, but you had na oxygen tank for a reason.

"Theres only thing left to say before i jump…" i said as i started running towards the edge of the ship. "LEEEEEEROY JENKINS!" Was the last words i said before diving into the cloud sea.

It took a few minutes in order to reach the ship. Going by memory, i placed the tube where i believe is where Pyra is sleeping. After i got some distance, i pressed a button on the side of my suit and the tube expanded. I went to one of the ends and started slowing entering. First my arms, then my upper body and then my lower body until i was completely in it. I started crawling through the tube until i came out the other side.

I landed with a thud on the ground looking where i entered. The small entrance suddendly disappeared, but was quickly filled with a grey are, covering the hole.

After checking to see if it was sturdy enough because you can never bee too careful, i walked towards the entrance of the room.

I saw a familiar red sword. "This is your first time meeting me, but i have seen you so many times…" I looked at the pillar in the middle of the room and at the person sleeping inside.

"…Pyra."


	2. The Meeting

"Pyra…" i finished as i looked at her. "Man, her boobs look even bigger in person."

I walked towards the sword stuck in the ground. I reached out my arm and before i could touch it, a thought came to me.

"Wait… dont people who cant resonate with a Core Crystal almost die? If i cant resonate with the Aegis, i might die?" My mind, being the absolute prick that it is, decide to give me an image of my body exploding, a pool blood standing where i was. My arm started shaking with hesitation. I grabbed it and took some deep breaths. "If i dont do this, more innocent people will die. So, even if i might die, i have to become the Aegis Driver. So…" I closed my eyes grabbed the sword and took out of its pedestal. "YOLO!"

I waited a few moments. I opened my eyes when i felt no pain. "Ok. Still alive… i guess. Now how do i get Pyra out of there?" I asked myself as i looked for a way. After some failed attempts of shouting, trying to pry the damn capsule off and rubbing the crystal in the sword, to which i immediately stopped after i felt it heating up and i believe i heard a faint moan.

"Okay, so i cant get the damn thing off nor can i wake Pyra up. She really wants to be sealed…" i muttered with a bit of sadness. "Anyway, i should probably leave this place and fight the monsters here… maybe ill get something to eat." I walked towards the entrance of the room. I placed my hand on the door and jerked it back when i received a shock. "Shit i forgot that only a Leftherian will open it…." I said as i checked my hand for any possible damage.

And then it hit me.

"Im stuck here!" I screamed. "Dammit, not only can a Leftherian open this, but i have no idea when they are supposed to get here!"I started getting into a panic while walking in circles. "Oh, what am i going to do!? I have no food, no water and worst of all, i got nothing to keep me busy!" I stopped and took a deep breath.

_Okay lets calm down… according to my calculations, i should be near the week when Torna and Rex come down here, only problem is i dont know the exact day and i dont have food with me._ I thought, **Drip** _Humans can live three weeks without any sort of food, so im safe. _**Drip. **_I dont have any water though and the human body can only live for three days without any water. _**Drip.** _I could try and drink my own piss… okay maybe thats not such a good idea for obvious reasons. _**DRIP**

"Oh my god, will someone make that drippin stop!?" I yelled to the air. Only for another thought to hit me. "WATER!" I ran to the source and found a few droplets of water dropping from the ceiling. I grinned. _Looks like i found my way to survive. The only thing remaining i show do i dont go crazy from staying here?_

* * *

**Day 1**

"9997, 9998, 9999 aaaaand 10 thousand." I said as i counted the droplets in front of me.

"Okay, this game is stupid after three tries." I sighed.

* * *

**Day 2**

I held my helmet in my hands as i looked at it. "To be or not to be, that is the answer…" i tried to say in a theatrical voice. I growled. "No, what was it again?" I scratched my head.

* * *

**Day 3**

I sat from the ground i was sitting on and stated putting my pants back on. "Sorry, Pyra, but you are the only woman around here and my imagination is basically a shithole right now…." I said.

"I really hope she isnt watching me…" i muttered as a shiver ran up my spine. "I am so dead when Mythra awakens…"

* * *

**Day 4**

"And then i said 'You aint gonna do shit N word! You aint gonna do shit!'" I said as i used the sword as a microfone and tried to impersonate Kevin Hart.

"Help me! Help me! N word!" I yelled. I shook my head. "Why am i still holding back when there is nobody around?" I took a deep breath.

"NIG-" I slipped before i could finish that sentence. "Ow." I then realized i could not have slipped in anything. So i looked at my hand. "Ew…. Karma is such a bitch…" i muttered as i cleaned myself the best way possible.

* * *

**Day 5**

_Its official… _I thought. _I have officially gone crazy. _I thought as i did everything i could think of. So, being the clever guy that i was, decided to start Fortnite dancing. I already di the Floss several times and imo n 10th Default Dance.

"I swear to god, if someone doesnt come by soon, im going to-"

Suddendly, i heard the sounds of a door opening. Knowing what was going to happen, i went behind the pillar. I heard some muffled voices and the second door opening.

"What… is that thing?" I heard a familiar voice.

_Rex. _I thought. While i was happy to see him, i was kind of scared. _If Jin decides to kill him now, then he is basically dead. Dammit…_

I heard the sounds of more steps coming closer.

"Look." I heard a faint whisper. No doubt it was Malos. I didnt even see him and i could already feel his aura. I had to bite my tongue to stop from gasping.

"Yes. No mistaking it." I heard another voice. Jin. This time i didnt feel anything from him, and that gave me chills since i knew how much of a threat he is. "Thats the Aegis."

"The… Aegis?" I heard this time a female voice. It was Nia. I smiled. She was one of my favourite characters.

"Very well, lets ship this out." Malos said. "Hey brat! Help me unplug this!"

"Uh? Yeah sure…" Rex said. I could feel his confusion and hesitation.

_Come on Rex, just do what they say. You dont have the power to stand up to them. If only i could have awakened Pyra! _Without thinking, i slammed my hand on the sword, thankfully not hard enough. But it was enough for a certain pair of ears.

"Hmm?" I heard Nia hum.

"What is it Nia?" Rex asked.

"I thought i heard something." She said.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! _I thought. _If they find me right here, im good as dead! And then the whole world is fucked!_

"Nia, what are you doing? Call the Monoceros. There is no way someone got in." Malos said.

_Malos, for once in my life, i thank you. _I thought as i glanced at the Wall i came through. Thankfully, it was shadowed enough to blend in.

"All right, calm down! Im calling them!" Nia said with a huff. I heard steps getting fainter and fainter. When i heard nothing, i gasped and took some deep breaths

"I even forgot to breathe." I said between breaths. I looked at the sword. "Hey how about you start doing something!? I cant save your arse without your help!" I kept tapping the Core Crystal in the sword when, suddendly, it started to shine, blinding my vision.

* * *

When i opened my eyes, i noticed i wasnt in the ship anymore. Rather, i was in a field of grass, with clear blue sky and a small tree in the distance. Next to that tree was a figure.

_Wait a minute… This is where Rex first met Pyra! _I thought while running towards the tree.

"Such a mournful sound…" Pyra said. "It hasnt stopped. In all these years."

"Yeah, bells dont exactly mean happiness." I said. "Anyways, where are we?" I had to fake my confusion.

"This is Elysium… The land where mankind lived in harmony with their creator. Is where 'we' were born."

I knew she was talking about Mythra as well, so i didnt say anything. I finally got on top of the Hill as i looked at the breathtaking view in front of me. To say it was beaustiful was an understatement.

Speaking of beautiful, i turned my head towards Pyra and noticed that i was only a few inches higher than her.

"My name is Pyra." She introduced herself while smiling.

I looked away in embarassment. "Oh yeah. My name is-"

"Raiden right?" She said.

I looked at her. "How did you-?"

"When you touched my sword, specifically the crystal, we came in contact. The tapping was a bit excessive." She said.

"Oh right. Wait, what about when i rubbed it like a lamp?"

Pyra looked a bit away and… is she blushing!? I coughed. "Well it doesnt matter, but now that we know each other, how can i help you?" I asked.

"Can you… take me to Elysium?" I asked.

I already knew why she wanted to go, but i wanted to make sure. "Elysium? Isnt that where we are?"

She shook her head. "This world is merely a memory. An ancient, half forgotten memory of what once was. The real Elysium lies in your world, on top of the World Tree that sits at the heart of Alrest." She explained.

"Well, let me ask you something?" I pointed at her. "Why do you want to go Elysium?" She opened her mouth to say something, but i interrupted. "And dont say its obvious to live a good life. There was a reason you were sealed here. Now all of the sudden you want to go to Elysium? Thats obviously suspicious." I said.

She sighed. "Very well, i want to go there and meet the Architect. I want to ask him for something." She explained.

I crossed my arms. "And what is that?" I asked her.

She seemed hesitant. It looked like she was trying to come up with a lie. I sighed. "Nevermind. If you dont want to tell me, dont. You got your reasons." I said. I saw her sigh in relief. I took my hand out. "Its nice to meet you, my Blade." I said to her.

Knowing what i was doing, she shook my hand. "Its nice to meet you too, my Driver." After that, i was blinded with a bright light.

* * *

When my vision returned, i noticed i was back on the ship, in the same spot the sword was. I swung the sword, activating its form. I raised it to the ceiling. I smiled. "Oh this is going to be fun." I said as i blasted the ceiling. "DONT FORGET ABOUT ME, BITCHES!"


	3. First Fight

At the top of the ship, Malos was carrying the pod containing Pyra. Nia was walking behind him, looking at the container.

Meanwhile, Rex was a bit far behind them, looking at the ground. _Why was there a girl sealed in a place like this? And why are these guys looking for her? Is she a friend of them, perhaps? It doesnt feel like it, but i cant think of another explanation. _He thought.

"Nia…" Malos said so that only Nia could hear him. "End them."

"End? Like what?" Nia asked.

"The price for their lives has already been paid in full. Now that we finally obtained the Aegis... The fewer living souls know about it, the better." He said, not even facing her. "Oh, and dont forget about the brat too."

"I-I cant do that! These people havent done anything wrong!" Nia yelled, loud enough to Rex to hear.

Rex stopped moving and narrowed his eyes at Malos, feeling that something is wrong.

Malos stopped moving. "I dont understand you." He turned around, towards Nia. "Now, now. Have you forgotten why you came here to begin with, Nia?"

"N-No, but…" Nia tried to defend herself.

"Oh, for the love of…" Malos said, fed up with this. He started walking the opposite direction. "Ill handle it myself."

He walked past Nia and started walking towards Rex. Before Rex could reach for his sword, the pod containing the girl caught on fire, suprising everyone.

"What the…!?" Malos said as he threw the container, not wanting to catch on fire.

From the pod, a tower of flames rose. It started to descend on top of the entrance to the ship. Once it hit, it dispersed, showing the girl from before.

"What the…" Rex said, confused at what is going on as he looked at the girl.

"DONT FORGET ABOUT ME, BITCHES!" Rex heard a famliar voice from below him. He looked in front of him where the floor was starting to melt and rise. Rex, knowing what was going to happen, jumped forward, in order to dodge. A tower of flames broke through the floor and a figure landed in front of it. It stood up and put the red sword from before on its shoulder. And that person was…

"Raiden!?" Rex asked in disbelief.

I looked at Rex next to me and smiled. "Hey, little bro! Its been a few years?" I asked while ruffling his hair.

"That sword! It cant be!" Malos said in disbelief. "Who are you!?"

"Me?" I faced malos and pointed my sword at him. "Im the guy who is going to kick your ass! Pyra!"

"Here!" She said.

"Cover me!" I said.

"Right!" She nodded.

I ran towards Malos in intent to strike him. I could see Jin reach for his sword.

"Jin. Leave them to me." Malos said as he took his tonfa out.

He blocked my strike as we clashed our weapons. "Sorry kid." He broke the clash, sending me to the air. "But i cant the let the likes of you just claim her power for yourself." Luckily, i was able to land without problem. "This is as far as it goes."

Pyra jumped from her spot and started running towards me. Sever tried to attack her, but she dodged and backflipped to gain some distance. "Aegis! Over here!" Sever said.

I clicked my tongue. _If i had her by my side, we could take them no problem. I have to help her, but its impossible against Malos. _"Thats rich coming from you!" I yelled as i started to srike at him again, but he just kept guarding and dodging my strikes. _He is toying with me!_

"Stop it, Malos!" Nia yelled. "Cant you see he is a child!?"

We both clashed our weapons and looked at Nia. "A child? Dont make me laugh!" Malos.

"Yeah! Im 25, Cat Girl!" I yelled at her.

Malos smirked. "This kid…" I growled at him. Unfortunately, i let my guard down and he pushed me back, losigng my balance "has made himself the Aegis Driver!" he beganrunning towards me.

"The Aegis… Driver? This guy is…?" Nia said in disbelief

We began clashing our weapons again, but this time i could tell Malos was starting to fight back. You could clearly see the difference in experience. Malos was guarding, but striking a second after that. He knew which attacks to guard and which to dodge and when was the time to strike. Meanwhile, i had zero experience with a sword, let alone being a Driver. I was striking blindly but not enough to tire myself. I just dodged everything, not even attemting to guard as i dont know strong the weapon is for me to be able to guardo r if i receive na injury, if its minor or deadly.

_Come on, im just fighting without a goal. Think of a plan. _I noticed we were getting closer to the entrance of the ship. _I got it!_

I continued to strike in attempt to push Malos. I made it look i was striking blindly and growling like a madman, while Malos didnt even notice he was walking backwards.

"Im disappointed. I thought you would be a challenge, but i have seen better swordskills from the kid over there." He said.

"How about this then?" I reversed the grip on the sword and threw it like a spear. Malos dodged with ease.

"Were you even trying to hit me?" He asked sarcastically.

I smirked. "Who said i was tryign to hit you?" I asked him.

Malos raised and eyebrow before gasping and looking behind him, watching Sever run up in front of him and make a shield as a slash of fire struck it. Malos looked up and saw Pyra was the cause of that attack.

Malos gritted his teeth. "Bastard…!" He looked behind him as i was there with a smug look on my face. He used his tonfa to try and slash, but he was blocked by another sword. "What!?"

"Geez, what took you so long, Rex?" I asked as Rex was clashing with Malos.

"Sorry, got distracted." I couldnt see his face, but i could tell he was smirking. "Its not everyday you see a fight like this!"

I chuckled before i looked around the ship. "The fuck are you idiots still doing here!? MOVE!" I yelled at them as they started to run away towards the ship. Pyra jumped above Malos and Sever and landed next to me, handing me back the sword.

Rex broke the clash and i attempted to slice him, but he backflipped into the air. "Malos! Here!" Sever threw his tonfa at Malos who caugh it and changed its form into a sword.

"I dont think so!" Malos landed on the entrance and aimed the sword at the bridge between the Maelstrom and the ship.

"DONT FORGET ME!" I yelled as i threw him a slash of fire. "Rex, on my signal, you Anchor Shot him!" He nodded, although a bit confused.

Malos guarded the fire slash, creating a small smokescreen. When it faded, Malos looked up as he saw me and Pyra holding the sword.

"BURNING SWORD!" We both yelled as flames on the sword grew even bigger. We descended upon Malos and, before he could guard. "REX, NOW!"

"Roger!" Rex said as he used his anchor shot.

"What?" Malos looked confused as he saw the wire tangle his leg. Before he could cut it, Rex pulled the anchor, making Malos Topple. "Shit!" He yelled as the sword hit, making a large explosion.

Everyone, except Jin, looked at awe at the display in power. When the explosion died down, it showed Sever making a shiel while guarding with his Tonfa in a different form.

"Damn it!" I said.

Malos got up. "How can nobody like you…!?" Malos said as he looked at me. "Ah, those eyes. You remind me of him. Guess that makes sense…"

"How you tell me instead of talking riddles?" I said.

An orb of darkness formed around Malos hand. "Like i'd tell you!" He said as attempted to slash me, but me and Pyra were able to dodge with ease.

As the Maelstrom started sailing away, the four of us landed on the ground.

"You're good, kid." Malos said as i raised an eyebrow. "Its no simple feat to control an Aegis like that…"

_Wait, we are skipping the boss fight?... Yay? _I thought in confusion. I started running towards him and jumped in attempt to slash him.

"However…" the same dark orb formed in Malos hand. He caught the sword with his bare hand, without any effort. In a second, he punched me in gut. Luckily, i managed to catch his fist at the last second. Immediately, i kneed him in the chin, used his shoulders as support, and jumped away from him from behind and threw a fireball at him. He easily swiped it with his tonfa. I didnt realize how high i jumped. "Dont get cocky, you little shit." He started running towards me and at the speed he was going, he was going to catch me before i feel, which was a bad thing. I looked beyond as i saw Rex and Pyra busy with Sever but i sigh in relief as someone finally decided to join the fight.

"Dromarch!" Nia yelled as she mounted Dromarch.

"Understood!" He answered as they both ran after Malos.

As Malos got closer to me, Dromarch roared at him. "What!?" Malos said in suprise as he protected himself. Sever was quick, not only arriving on time, but also putting a shield.

Dromarch stopped in front of me as i landed.

"Get out of the way, Nia!" Malos yelled. "Have you gone mad!"

"You're the one who is off you nut, waling on a child!" Nia yelled.

"Again… 25…" I said sweatdropping.

"Nia… i don't think you quite comprehend your position." Malos said.

"I know, but-" Nia said, before she was interrupted.

"You're starting to piss me off!" Malos yelled.

Out of the corner of my eye, i saw Pyra running towards us. She did a U turn in order to not lose speed. I handed her sword to her as Sever ran in front of her, but she jumped and tried to slash Malos. He blocked with his Tonfa. Pyra, using momentum, did a frontflip so that she was facing his back. Not missing a beat, Malos started attacking Pyra, who kept guarding and dodging, at speeds that i could barely follow. Malos then started to spin and Pyra started backflips, gaining distance. Malos then stopped spinning and jumped towards her. Pyra threw a couple of fireballs. Malos sliced through one of them, creating a small smokescreen which Pyra used to try and attack him. Malos guarded as Pyra had her sword in a reverse grip.

"You're pretty sharp for someone who's only just woken up. Takes me back to 500 years ago. What's the deal with that appearance? Im guessing your goal is Elysium…" Malos said.

"That is our dream!" Pyra said back.

"Then i have no choice but to stop you!" Malos said as he broke the clash and tried to uppercut Pyra with the dark orb again. Thankfully, Pyra dodged as she backflipped away.

They both stared at each other. Waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"You're welcome to try!" I said as i ran towards Pyra. She nodded and handed me her sword. Before we could continue the fight, I heard sounds of a ship moving, and it was right behind us. After a sound of something opening, i grabbed Pyra, not really looking where i put my hand, and jumped as multiple missiles hit where we once stood. I kept jumping, dodging just barely the blast radius.

_Damn, cant dodge forever. _I thought as i saw the missiles getting closer to us.

"Stop this!" Nia said as she and Dromarch jumped in front of us, a shield forming to protect us. The barrage of missiles continued and Dromarch shield wasn able to hold on as it hits its mark. Nia screamed as she was blown off Dromarch back and out of the ship.

"Shit! Rex!" I yelled as he started runnning to the border of the ship. He jumped and grabbed her and used the anchor to keep them safe from falling.

"You're tough one, kid, but there is only one way this can end!" Malos said as he stood over Rex and Nia as the ship took aim at them.

"Yeah, with my sword up your arse!" I said as i started running towards Malos. Suddendly, the cannons on the ship exploded. All of us stopped and looked at source and Gramps descended from the heavens and flew past us.

"Gramps!" Me and Rex yelled.

Gramps flew upwards and look around the ship.

"Jin… Still you persist… And is that… Malos!?" He then looked at me. "Raiden!?" I waved at him.

"Azurda…" Jin muttered. I almost jumped since i completely forgot about him.

Gramps flew upwards. Jin, for the first time, got into a fighting stance. Azurda sent out a barrage of flames at the ship, one aiming for Jin, who easily cut it.

"Rex get on!" Gramps said as me and Pyra got on Dromarch and started going to the border of the ship. We grabbed Rex, along with Nia and just jumped from the ship. Logically, we should have fallen straight down, but Gramps caught us at the last minute.

"We're going! Hold on tight!"

"Stop them! Open fire!" Malos yelled as the ship started targeting Gramps, hitting his body several times.

With the barrage of missiles hitting us, before i knew it, i blacked out not before a single thought.

_I am going to fucking love this._


	4. The First Change

**Its been a while, hasnt it? After uploading chapter 3, i started working on chapter 4, until last Friday my computer broke down. Not having acess to another computer and im not going to use the computer of my school for this, i decided to wait. I got my computer yesterday and decided to just finish it a bit and then post it. Sorry about the chapters being a bit short, but if i write bigass chapters, im going to either take a lot of time to write them and give up (my previous stories are a great example) or just move on from the game. Im still in love with XC2 and i hope i can finish at least one story of my own. Now, since i normally i dont do this, but since i got a very nice review, im going to answer to the reviews i have had so far. Pls note that im not going to do it everytime, only when an actual review with something for me to talk about appears. If its something like the first review, you can rest that i do see the reviews and i appreciate support.**

**gogeta blue kaioken- (This is an example of what i was talking about. If it says something like 'Continue' or 'Its good', im not going to give an exact opinion, but i still see them.) Thank you for the compliment.**

**Haseo55- (Now this is the type of reviews i might give a response too. Dont be afraid to give your opinion, even if its negative. Just make it something decent, not write like you're a kid trying to thrash talk in COD and thinks saying the N word makes you intimidating.)- I will admit that chapter was a bit dull to write. I had to watch the same cutscene over and over just to memorize the lines and its too much of a drag. This chapter has some of the same dialogue, but im going to change it up a bit in the future. Im still going to keep the important lines, for example, Pyra explaining the Aegis War.**

**I kind of had that idea of Pyra escaping a few months prior to the start of the game, but then two things came up that didnt feel right.**

**1\. If i tried to save her early, it would be hard to make the OC and Pyra join up with Rex and Nia. What reason could i make to make Pyra go back to the ship besides plot convenience? I was planning on having the OC and Raiden go to Gormott and then have Torna send Nia, but i think they wouldnt leave an important mission up to Nia, and more towards someone like Jin.**

**2\. Obrona. We learned that Obrona can track Blades. It would be a bit strange for her to not locate Pyra and it would be even weirder for nobody to attack while they were hiding.**

**So in order for the story to have some sense, i went with the flow of the game. Dont worry, there will be a few changes, one of them happens in this chapter actually. The game will go the same way order as in the game, but certain events will play differently.**

* * *

I was deep in slumber, a light snore coming from me. I cant remember when i went to sleep or where, but damn, these pillows are comfy as hell! I ended moving a bit to get more comfortable, my arms moving unconsciously around… a pillar? When i closed my fist, i seemed to squeeze something. I heard a small 'Eep'. Now that got my attention.

_This is a strange pillow. _I squeezed it again. _Its definitely flesh. _A 'Eep' was heard again. _And that was definitely a woman voice. Where did i go to sleep? Lets retrace my steps. _

_I woke up, found Pyra ship, got stuck for almost a week, became her driver, fought Malos, we escaped with Gramps help and i blacked out…. _

_And knowing from the game, we are probably in Gormott… _

_…which means that im not in an inn…_

_…and this is not a pillow…_

_…which means that im currently sleeping on….. _I opened my eyes and looked upwards to see not only Pyra enormous breasts, seriously Monolith, im not complaining, but you could have made her costume a bit less… tighter, but also her face, which was as red as her face. I looked at my arms which seem to go around her back and my hand was on her-

With laws that should only be possible in anime, my face got red and i got away from Pyra, all in the span of a second.

"P-P-PYRA!?" I said, my face just as bright as her face.

"H-Hey Raiden…" She said, nervously.

"Oh my god, im so sorry!" I started flailing my arms." Iwasasleepandisometimesmoveduringmysleepandihadnoideathatiwassleepingonyourthighs-" i paused to breath.

"Its okay, Raiden." She said while having a face as red as mine. "You didnt do it on purpose, so there is no reason to worry."

"Thats still doesnt it make it okay…" I muttered as i looked around. "Where are Rex and the others?" Pyra shook her head. I looked further into the woods. "They must be around here somewhere… Lets go!" I said as she nodded and we ran into the forest.

* * *

While we were trying to find the rest of the gang, Pyra said that we should probably practice a bit since i still havent got used to her, so to put in the gaming terms, grinding. Joy…

It was actually much different than in the game where you just spam arts. Here, you actually have to use the move in order to work properly. Thankfully, i managed to at least get the hang of it by killing a bunch of insects. Sometimes, i would give Pyra her sword back to work on our teamwork. That is when i noticed something about her.

"Hey Pyra." I said as she looked at me after burning our last enemy, trying to ignore its cries of pain as it slowly turned to ash.

"Yes Raiden?" She said back.

"Is your sword not heavy for you?" I asked her. "I find it a bit hard for me to wield it in one hand, yet you can manage it with no ease."

"Well, yeah i have no problem wielding it. Its like an extension of ourselves. It would be kind of weird if we couldnt wield our weapons like we wanted to. That and i also have more strength than the average human." She said.

"By how much?" I asked, curiously.

"Well, i can at least carry…" In a swift movement, i was in Pyra arms. "…this much." She gave me a small smirk.

"Hey! Put me down, Pyra! Im not a kid!" I said, thanking the Architect that no one was nearby to see this. She eventually put me down.

She giggled. "If you are ever too tired to walk, just let me know and ill carry you." She said.

"Yeah, thanks." I said sarcastically as i rolled my eyes. _Yeah. A grown man being carried by a woman with an outfit that leaves little to imagination. I bet people would pay to see something like that… _I thought. As my eyes finished rolling, i got the sight of a white mass in the distance. "Pyra! Over there!" I said as we started running towards the distance.

* * *

When we got closer, the picture was even more gruesome than in the game. Gramps had spears all over his body, with blood leaking out of them. Near Gramps head, i saw a figure laying down on their knees. It was Rex.

"Gramps! Rex!" I said as Rex looked at me with tears in his eyes as Gramps moved his eye towards me.

"Glad to see you are okay, Raiden…" Gramps said weakly.

"Hold on Gramps! I have some herbs with me and we can…" Rex said, but Gramps intterupted him.

"You are kind, but no ammount of human medice would suffice…" Gramps said. "Weep not, my boy. This is my fate…"

"I just cant help it, can i?" Rex said, trying not to cry.

"No parting is forever. We will surely meet again when the flow of the either wills it…" Gramps body started to turn into particles. Rex and Pyra gasped while i just looked away. When i first saw this scene, i almost cried and i wanted to kill Gramps after he came back, but its still painful to watch, even more when you know he is going to survive and you cant say a thing. "The days with you were the best i ever had. Until we meet again, Rex… Raiden…" Gramps body glowed and all of it turned into particles.

Rex tried to grab some particles, but it was useless as the particles disappeared. "Graaaaaaaamps!" Rex yelled. Pyra looked away. I was biting my tongue at this point.

_Just a few more moments. Hold it. _I kept thinking the same, trying to make it through this.

The only sound we heard was the cries of Rex. The rest was silence… and nothing more.

Just… silence…

_Wait a minute. Something is wrong. _I thought. I went near where Gramps disappeared. I looked for a patch of white, or the sounds of wings. ANYTHING! But i found nothing. _This wasnt in the game! _I thought. _Then that means… _I got on my knees as it finally hit me.

Gramps was dead.

I couldnt believe it. Something must have gone differently. There must have been more spears or the damage was far greater or one of the spears must have hit his Core Crystal, not letting him regenerate….

_His Core Crystal… _I widened my eyes. _Wait a minute! Thats it! _ I thought as i looked at the ground. Looking for it.

"Raiden, what are you…" Pyra asked me. My eyes landed on something glowing.

_THERE! _I grabbed whatever i felt. "Yes!" I held in my hand what i was looking for. I went near Rex and grabbed his shoulders. "Rex!" He looked at me, his eyes still full of tears, as were mine. "Look!" I showed him what was in my hand.

It was a Core Crystal, bright as a star.

"A Core Crystal? What are you…" Rex asked in confusion. Pyra knelt next to us.

"When Titans die, a Core Crystal comes out of them. Do you get what this means?" I said with a small smile. Rex widened his eyes.

"This is Gramps Core Crystal…" He muttered. I nodded as he grabbed the Crystal. Since we werent trying to resonate with it, it didnt activate. Rex held it in his hands.

"Thats probably what he meant by 'Until we meet again'." Pyra said. Rex then put the Core Crystal in his pocket. "Rex?"

Rex shook his head. "We need to find Nia and Dromarch." He said as he got up.

"Yeah, you are right." I said as i also got up. "She shouldnt be far. Lets go." We all then headed deeper into the woods. We walked in silence. We really didnt have anything to talk about. Rex wasnt in the mood, Pyra didnt know what to say and i was deep in thought.

_This is a big change to the game. We are only at the beginning and we already have two major changes. First was me becoming Pyra Driver and now Gramps death. Well, Gramps didnt really do anything to the plot besides giving context and saving everyone in the end. I know that the Titans are the same and nothing has changed between Uraya and Mor Adain and Torigoth was the same last time i was here… But this means that the game is probably going to be different in terms of story than what im used to… _

We reached a bridge that was blocked by a tree. Pyra just ignited it, with control so that it wont burn the bridge as well. After it disappeared, we continued walking.

_I just hope its for the better._

* * *

**So a quick question: What Blade should Rex have? Should i try to create one with the name Azurda or give him one that already exists?**


	5. The First Talk

**Unknown Driver- You mean like in terms of behaviour, knowledge? Or literally Gandalf with the meme, the hat and everything?**

**gogeta blue kaioken- Jesus, calm down! We are only on chapter two in the game! You are already talking about the final 30 minutes of the game! But in terms of Malos... redemption is going to be even harder for him. You will see. Cant spoil it it. Pyra and Mythra, i believe they kept their memories because when they talk and you dont hear anything, they say 'Im home'. That would also be kind of a bad ending, dont you think? Rex loses the love of his life, gets it back, but then they dont remember him. Keep in mind that they are Aegis, so they could be special.**

**RedBurningDragon- I could do that, for a few times of the story. Raiden could also be as he has knowledge of the game that gives him a a calmer mind when faced with certain events. Though there will be times that Azurda wisdom will come in handy... you will see soon.**

* * *

The three of us crossed the bridge and headed up a hill. We stopped when we heard some sounds of fighting.

"What is that noise?" Rex asked looking around.

"Probably someone fighting…" I muttered.

"I felt a ripple in the ether. A Driver and a Blade are fighting." Pyra said looking at us.

"Then it must be…!" Rex said.

"Lets go!" We all ran towards the sound of the noise.

* * *

We saw Nia and Dromarch fighting a giant frog-like being, a Brog.

"My lady. Leave this to me." Dromarch said calmly.

"Im not gonna abandon you Dromarch!" Nia said, refusing to leave her blade side.

As the Brog got closer, i took out my sword and sent a wave a fire towards it, hitting it in the eye, distracting it.

"We're here to help, Nia!" Rex said.

"Rex! What are you doing here?" She said as she sheathed her chakrams. She looked at me. "And the kid?"

"OH COME ON!" I yelled in indignation. "Im not a kid! Im-"

Dromarch interrupted us. "We should continue this later. We have more important matters at hand!"

I growled. "Fine!" I said as everyone took their weapons out.

The Brog looked at everyone in the group and stopped when he looked at me. He lunged towards me. Before he hit, i sidestepped towards the left and slashed my sword on his front leg and back leg. He landed on the ground. As he tried to get up, Nia went from the other side and started to attack him on his sides. She stepped back when she saw the frog rise up. It looked at Nia and opened its mouth and sent out his massive tongue. Dromarch stood in front of her and raised a shield to protect her. The tounge bounced back and retreated to its mouth. With it being distracted, Rex came up behind and gave a big slash. It howled in pain as its eyes locked on Rex. It lunged towards him. He rolled out of the way, but the frog used its tongue and caught Rex around its waist.

"Nia!" I yelled.

"On it!" Nia nodded. Using Dromarch as a boost, she jumped and cut the frog tongue off.

It screamed in pain. Without missing a beat, i tossed my sword back at Pyra, who nodded in response. I used my anchor to trap his leg and make him lose his footing. With him on the ground and his mouth open, Pyra sent out a fireball at his mouth. It screamed in pain as its entire mouth was on fire before collapsing on the side, smoke coming from its mouth.

"Phew." Rex said as he wiped sweat of his brow. "That was close."

"Tell me about it." I said, before bonking him on the head. "IDIOT!"

"Hey! What was that for?!" Rex said holding the back of his head.

"Dont just copy what we do! We have Blades with shields! The only thing you have for protection is that sorry excuse of a sword!" I scolded him.

"Hey! This sword got me through a bunch of fights!" Rex yelled back.

"And how many of those did you win? And how many of those were up against monsters twice your size?" I asked him. Rex opened his mouth for an answer, to which he had none. I smirked in satisfaction.

Nia and Dromarch chuckled while Pyra giggled at us bickering. "So, what are you guys doing here?" Nia asked.

I looked at her." Oh, you know. We decided to take a nice, long walk across the-WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE DOING HERE!?" I yelled at her.

"Oh." She rubbed the back of her head. "Guess thats a stupid question to ask."

"Indeed." Dromarch nodded.

I sighed. "At least its good to see you are alive and still kicking." I said. "Couldnt handle another death today…" I muttered low enough so that nobody heard me.

"Its good to see you, Nia." Rex said as well.

"Right back at you two." Nia said before she started looking. "Hey, where is the big guy that saved us? The Titan?"

At the mention of that, we all looked away. Nia saw the change in mood and her ears dropped a bit. "Oh." She said.

Dromarch, being the wise of the group, decided to break the ice. "How about we set up camp? We have a lot to talk about and its best to discuss this over a meal."

At the mention of 'meal', my stomach decided to growl. I chuckled. "Hope there is enough food cause i havent eaten in like a week." We all shared a good laugh at that, the mood being a bit better.

* * *

We set up camp close to where we fought. We started a fire in order to keep ourselves warm and cook the Brog.

"I see. So thats what happened." Nia said. "Sorry about that."

"Dont worry about it." Rex said. "We wouldnt be here if it wasnt for Gramps. Besides, its not like we wont see him again."

"Only this time he is not going to be a giant Titan." Nia added. "As for your friend…." They all glanced at me, where i was basically devouring my food: roasted brog…. Not exactly what you call 'food' since most brogs are poisonous, but i found out if you roast them hard enough, most of them are harmless. And with Pyra cooking, it got even better. I was basically on my 5th serving when i noticed everyone was looking at me.

"Whwa?" I said, my mouth full of food.

"Geez, and Gramps said i ate like an animal." Rex said with his arms crossed.

I swallowed my food. "Hey! How about you go a week without food and when you finally get to eat and you eat like a gentleman, you can judge me my manners!" I said.

"So kid…" Nia said before i interrupted her.

"Okay, lets get one thing straight here!" I yelled. "Im not a kid! Im a 25 year old, grown ass man! Besides the Blades, im probably the oldest here!" That was obviosuly a lie, but in my small fit of anger, i forgot she was a Blade. "So you either call me Sir, Mr Raiden or just Raiden if you would like, but call me a kid again and i swear to the Architect, IM GONNA SHOVE MY SWORD RIGHT UP YOUR ASS!" I finished with a shout.

Everyone eyes were wide open as they looked at me. I was breathing heavily after my small fit of anger.

"Woah, talk about hitting a nerve." Nia said.

"Well im not suprised. One time back home we bumped into a bunch of Ardainian soldiers. One of them called him out and well…."

"The motherfucker was younger than me , for crying out loud, and he had the balls to call me a kid!? I showed him." I crossed my arms.

"What did you do to him?" Nia asked curiously.

"I made him walk toward his camp…." I said.

"That doesnt seem very harsh…" Pyra said.

"…without any clothes on." I finished with a smirk.

"Well, that still doesnt seem so bad." Dromarch added

"You forgot to mention it was super cold and it was snowing as well." Rex added. Everyone looked at Rex and back at me with wide eyes.

"Geez, lesson learned: i wont call you a kid, Raiden." Nia said.

"Good. Now thats out of the way, how about you fill me in on what you were doing on that ship?" I asked. I wanted to see if anything was different from when i played the game.

"Well it all started about two days ago…." Rex began.

After Rex explained what happened, i was glad to know nothing was different from the game. I had enough suprises for a day.

* * *

"So let me get this straight… You accepted a job from Bana, with the reward of 100,000 gold without knowing the details of the job, then you accepted after knowing a very brief and useless detail of the job, from people you barely even knew who, in fact, are the number one terrorist group in all of Alrest, where one of them didnt even hesitate to attack you after meeting you. Then, after doing what you were being paid for, you didnt even question why they needed you to open a door. Is that everything?" I asked everything as i sat near Rex.

Rex pondered for a moment. "When you put it that way… yeah, i think thats about it." He said.

I took a deep breath.

***BONK***

"IDIOT!" I yelled as i punched him in the back of the head again.

"What was that for!?" He asked as he touched where i punched him.

"How many fucking years have you been a salvager!? You should know better than to just accept a job without even hearing the full detail! You have the right to know the details! If they dont give you the details, do the obvious thing: SAY. NO!" I scolded him.

"Well yeah, but it all worked out in the end, right?" Rex tried to look at the bright side of this.

"The ends doesnt justify the means, Rex. Do you know what would happen after they got Pyra? Most likely, they would kill everyone on that ship and leave." Nia flinched when i said this.

"Well i dont exactly think they would-" Rex said, but Nia interrputed him.

"Its true." We all looked at Nia. "Before the fight, Malos told me to kill everyone." Rex and Pyra and gasped while i just crossed my arms. "In fact, if it wasnt for you two, i would probably be killed as well."

I looked back at Rex. "See Rex? Next time, before you go accept a job, remember that with high rewards comes high risks."

Rex looked away and crossed his arms. "Fine. Ill be more careful next time." He said.

"You could at least sound more regretful…" I said.

"Sorry, but i cant." He said.

"Why you little…!" I said, before we heard some laughter. We looked at the source, being Pyra, Dromarch and Nia, all smiling and chuckling. Nia was sitting with her back against Dromarch fur, who was lying down so that Nia could basically use him as a pillow. "Mind if i ask whats so funny?"

"You look like an older brother scolding his younger one." Pyra said.

"Yeah, looks like i was right about Rex being a little kid." Nia said with a toothy grin.

"Oi!" Rex snapped.

"Indeed. You two certainly share a bond that only brothers could have." Dromarch said.

"Well someone had to keep this little fella out of trouble." I said ruffling, his hair which got a growl from him.

"Hey, at least we stopped them!" Rex said.

I crossed my arms. "That is true. Whatever they were planning to use Pyra for, we at least stopped them." I looked at her. "And there is no way in hell im letting them take her away! Thats a promise!" I gave her a toothy smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"Raiden…" Pyra said, smiling a bit.

"Look at you being all 'knight in shining armour'." Nia smirked. "Before we know it, you are confessing to her!" She laughed.

Me and Pyra tried to hide our blushed faces.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Rex said as he dug through his back pocket. "Here!" He handed me a package of some sorts. Not going to even question how that fit in his pockets...

"Whats this?" I asked.

"Since you almost never visit home, Corrine gave me these to give them to you. She figured you might need a new set of clothes." Rex explained.

"I swear that woman…" I muttered, opening a bit of the package. "Oh sweet! Be right back!" I went behind some of the trees. "No peaking!"

"Dont worry, i bet there is nothing interesting to see!" Nia teased.

"Oh Haha." I sarcastically laughed while started taking the suit off. Despite only seeing my head, everyone looked at the other side to give me privacy, though Pyra kept staring at me, narrowing her eyes.

* * *

10 minutes later, i changed my clothes. Those salvager suits are REALLY hard to take off.

"So what do you guys think?" I said as everyone looked at my new set of clothes

**(So for this one i had a hard time choosing an outift. Normally, i go with an already existing outfit instead of creating my own. I am TORNA (get it? Torna? Torn? And this is XC2? No? Okay…) between Noctis outfit before the timeskip or Sora new outfit in KH3. For this chapter, i will have him with Sora clothing. Tell me what you guys think. In terms of face, for some reason, the face i keep picturing is Senku from Doctor Stone for some reason, but thats only my imagination. His face and hair is the same as Sora's, but the hair is tied into a ponytail.)**

"I must say, its a nice change from that salvager suit." Dromarch said

"Well at least you look better than someone in a diving suit." Nia said, glancing at Rex.

"Wow, thanks." I sarcastically replied.

"Hey come on the suit doesnt look that bad!" Rex said. "And they are really comfy too!"

"Rex, just because a salvager suit is comfy, doesnt mean you should wear it all the time, like Pyjamas." I said. I looked at Pyra, who was the closest to me. "So what do you think Pyra?"

Pyra kept staring at me, not responding. "Alrest to Pyra?" I snapped my fingers in front of her.

She gasped. "It fits you perfectly." She said with her beautiful smile.

"Thanks" I rubbed the back of my head.

* * *

Later, we decided to sleep and figure out our best move in the morning. Rex was sleeping with his arms behind his head as a pillow. His arms are going to be so numb in the morning. Nia was sleeping on her back on Dromarch and which can be described as the most uncomfortable position to sleep in. Someone back is going to be hurting in the morning. Pyra was standing, looking at the lake.

"Can't sleep?" I asked as i walked towards her. She looked at me.

"Oh. Raiden." She said. "Yeah."

"Cant blame you. You've been asleep for 500 years, so the last thing you want to do is sleep." I said as i got next to her.

She chuckled and nodded. Before registering what i said. "Wait. How do you know…."

"…how many years you have been asleep?" I finished the question. She nodded again. I sat on the ground. I patted the spot next to me, telling her to sit as well, which she did.

"Ever since i was a little kid, my mom used to tell me the stories of the hero Addam. How he saved the world of Alrest. He fought the Aegis, Malos. The battle shook all of Alrest. Addam, in his time of need, called for the Architect and he responded by sending the Aegis, a Blade with unbelievable power. She was just as powerful as she was beautiful." Pyra face became as red as her hair. "They managed to defeat Malos, but…" at this, my tone went sad. "Three Titans fel, one of them being Addam home." Pyra started to look down. "After that, Addam and the Aegis just disappeared. Some say she died. Other says she went back to Elysium. But i believed she was out there, waiting for the new Aegis Driver to awaken her." She started to look up.

"Your mother knew all of this?" Pyra asked.

"Oh no. She only told me he was a hero from the past. During my travels, i kept hearing different versions of the stories i heard. I heard about Malos from an old man in Uraya and it kind of made sense. After hearing so many versions, i just made my own and the one i always believe in."

"So you heard these tales from different people?" Pyra asked. I nodded. "And… what did they think of her, i mean, me?"

I sighed. I knew where she was going with this. "Some said you ran away from your purpose. Some said you killed Addam. Some said that someone with a power that could destroy the world shouldnt exist…"

Pyra looked down as i continued to tell what others said. _I knew it. I didnt want to admit, but i was right. We shouldnt have exist. We…_

"… and every single one of them got their asses kicked by me." Pyra looked at me quickly as i gave her a smirk.

"What?" She said

"They are all a bunch of idiots. Besides a handful, everyone kept talking about 'cursed power', or 'her purpose', or 'how a menace she is'. After they finished talking, i kicked all their asses, breaking a few bones." I explained as i took her hand and looked at it. I unconsciously stroked it a bit with my thumb. She has really sof hands. "You arent a weapon to use or to fulfill some purpose. You are a living being, like any one of us, who has the right to live their life the way they see fit. And i know for a fact you arent a threat, in fact, with Malos, you may be the very thing that can save the world once again." I said. I looked at her as she had tears in her eyes. "S-Sorry! I guess i talked a bit too much! Hehehe…" Pyra put her other hand on top of mine.

"Raiden… thank you. You dont know how much i needed to hear that…" She said.

I blushed a bit and looked away. "N-No problem! What kind of friend would i be if i didnt help them?" I said.

She giggled as she took her hand away. Wow, were they soft.

"Oh right." I said as i took something out of my pocket. "Here." I gave her a book.

"What is this?" She said as she opened it and gasped at what she saw.

In it was a beautiful landscape. There were a huge forest on one side and in the distance ,you could see a town of some sorts.

"Its a notebook. I sometimes took time to draw some landscapes." I explained. "This one is in Gormott…" I flipped a page. "This is Torigoth, a city here in Gormott…" I flipped another page which showed a desert area with a palace nearby. "This one is Mor Adain…"

"Raiden… why are you giving me this?" She asked.

"Well, first of all, i used up all the pages in there, so i cant really use it." I said. "Second, you have been away for a long time. So i thought you could use something to show you how the world looks right now."

Pyra closed the book. "Thank you again, Raiden." She said.

"Dont mention it." I said, before i yawned. "Well, i should probably hit the hay. You good?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Ill go to sleep in a few minutes." She said. I nodded and went near the fire to get some Z's.

Pyra hugged the book tightly while a few tears rolled down her face. But those werent tears of sadness. If you didnt notice with the warm smile on her face, those tears were of happiness.


	6. Family

The sun was already up by the time we woke up, though there was no way of actually telling because of the trees.

Everyone got up and streched, bones popping. I looked at Nia who was stretching her back while Rex was waving his arms.

_Knew it_. I thought.

"We should probably go find a town or something." Rex said. "Does anyone know where we are?"

"I think we are in Gormott." I said.

"Yep. A province of the Ardainian Empire. You have seen it before right?" Nia asked.

"Yeah but only from a distance." Rex answered.

"I think we are around somewhere in its belly." Nia added.

"So this is Gormott…" Rex said. "Hang on a second, Nia. Your ears. Are you Gormotti?"

I facepalmed. "Really, Rex?" I said. "Just one glance and you can tell she is Gormotti."

"Nicely done genius. Any other bright observations like 'Is the sky blue?' or 'Is Dromarch a tiger'?"

"Gormott is the land of my lady's birth." Dromarch added

"If we want to find a town, we need to get out of the forest." I said.

"You've been here before, Raiden?" Nia asked.

"Yeah, but only for a bit. I only know my way around the forest, though. Never been to the city." I said. Pyra raised an eyebrow. After all, one of my drawings had Torigoth in it, so she found odd that i lied. Before she could voice her thoughts, i sent her a look that said 'Shut it.' She gave a small, barely noticable nod, trusting me.

The reason why i didnt say anything was because of Nia's mental state. At this point, she still wants to go back to Torna, even though Malos clearly tried to kill her! At this point, she is just a travelling companion, not a comrade. But i cant just bring it up. I have to wait for the moment to appear. If the game still follows the plot a little bit, i shouldnt be long.

"Well thats too bad. Outside the forest is a beauty. Come on. We just need to follow the path. Then w ego throught the plains and we will be in town."

We all nodded and proceeded up the path. We came up and found one of best things in this game: climbing.

For those that didnt know, if you start climbing something during a battle, it will automatically cancel the battle. It was perfect to get away from certain fights.

"Looks like we are going to have to climb." I said.

Nia scoffed. "Speak for yerself. Dromarch." She said

"Yes, my lady…" Dromarch nodded. Nia got on top of Dromarch who jumped from wall to wall. They did the same for the next patch and reached the top in no time.

"Come on you slowpokes!" Nia yelled from the top.

"Well, looks like its you and me, Rex." I said, turning to look at him, but i saw him shoot his anchor to the top.

"Sorry, but i got my way of travel!" He said before he went up.

I looked at Pyra. "So… you wouldnt happen to have a jetpack on you?" I asked.

* * *

_Its moments like this that make me hate my life. _I thought. Apparently, Pyra IS a freaking jetpack. She used the heels in her boots, which i completely forgot she had those which makes me wonder how she fights with those on, to boost her and me upwards. Problem was i needed to be carried… in her arms… like a baby.

Pyra landed and i never left her arms quicker. I looked at Rex and Nia who were smirking at me.

"Not. One. Word." I said as i started walking ahead of them. "And stop smirking like that. I can feel you mocking me behind my back!" I said, not looking back. One by one, i heard them following me.

"Soooo… " Nia, as she was still on top of Dromarch, put her head down near Pyra level. "How heavy is he?"

"Not a lot actually." Pyra said.

"Will you be carrying him again?" She said.

Pyra blushed a bit. "Maybe." Her blush disappeared and a small smirk appeared on her face. "But probably when he doesnt want to."

"Ooooh, im starting to like you, Pyra." Nia smirk got even wider. Though she swore for a second, Pyra eyes looked golden rather than red.

* * *

After spending a week in a dark chamber and a day in a forest, i had to shield my eyes as we reached the outside of the forest. We were in the outlooks that showed the entirety of Gormott, from the plains all the way to Torigoth.

Rex and Pyra gasped at the view while me and Nia smirked at their reactions. I already saw the view multiple times, so i was already used to it.

"What a view…" Pyra muttered.

"It certainly beats Gramps back, thats for sure." Rex said.

"Careful, Rex… He might hear you and haunt you…~" I said making gestores with my hands and ghost-like sounds. We both chuckled.

"That over there is Torigoth, Gormott biggest city." Nia said pointing at a city in the distance.

_More like the only city in Gormott… _I thought. While there have been mentions of other cities in Titans, the only time you visit more than one town is in Uraya, and Garfont is more like a base rather than an a city.

"Ill accompany you as far as the city. After that, you are on your own." Nia said.

"On our own?" Rex said, confused. Pyra was also a bit confused, though she knew why.

"Of course. Even you know why i cant be seen hanging around with you." Nia said.

"Is it because you are one of them?" Rex asked.

"One of Torna?" I added. Rex looked at me. "Its their name." Out of the corner of my eye, i saw Pyra widened her eyes and gasp, though she covered her mouth.

"Yep. They are Torna. I havent known them for very long, but you know. They are still my crew." She added.

I started clenching my fist. I get why she is doing this, but come on! She is basically walking to her death.

"Your crew!? Even after they tried to kill you!?" Rex said in shock.

Nia turned her back on us. "That may be, but they are still the closest thing i have to a family." She said.

"Nia…" Rex muttered. He didnt know what to say.

Meanwhile, i did. "Thats BS" I said those words with calm. Everyone looked at me in shock.

"What did you say?" Nia asked.

"I said: 'Thats BS'. Need to spell me out for you?" I said.

"I know what that spells!" Nia snapped. "What i want to know is what do you mean."

"You said that they are the closest thing you have to a family. With the exception of Rex, i have only known all of you for a day or two. And yet, even i can tell that those guys are definitely not your family." I explained

"What!?" Nia said.

"I only saw those guys for a couple of minutes, and from your little speech with Malos, i can tell you two dont get along. I dont know about that Jin guy since i didnt even see him, but for him to not even stop the ship or Malos from attacking you, he might be on the same boat as Malos." I simply said. I wanted to put my two cents in. I know that Nia eventually joins us, but i wanted to giveher a piece of my mind.

"Oi! You dont anything about them, especially Jin! So dont try and tell me-" Nia said before i grabbed her by the hood and pulled her so that we were face to face.

Dromarch changed his posture a bit, ready to pounce. He knew i wasnt going to do anything rash, but he had to be ready to protect his Driver in case things went violent.

"He didnt even try and save you!" I yelled. "The one who saved YOU from falling to your death was REX! The one who carried YOU all the way to Gormott was GRAMPS! And the one who saved me from Malos was YOU!" I said.

Pyra placed a hand on my shoulder. "Raiden… enough." She said.

I tched and dropped Nia as she fell to her knees. "I dont know what happened for you to join them and frankly, i dont care. But i do know this: family isnt something that is tied by blood or something you have in common. Family is the place where you can feel at home. Family is the place where you belong. Family is where you can be happy." I began to walk ahead. "And families, no matter the reason…" i didnt know it, but my fist was clenching the whole time, to the point where blood was beginning to leak. "hurt one another." I continued walking, not looking behind. Pyra followed after me, with Rex a bit later, and Nia at the end.

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter. Just had to study for two tests and couldnt write more. So i just did this part. Next chapter will go all the way to the end of the fight with Brighid. Now, from what i have seen, people want Azurda as a blade. So, it has been done. Im still thinking of his design (i suck at drawing, so dont expect a sheet. Ill probably base him on another character so that you can picture him better), but i still want to know two things: **

**1\. His Weapon. Should be an already existing one, and if so, which one? Or do you want a new kind of Weapon?**

**2\. His Element. In the team, from all the Blades you can get Automatically, the only Elements you dont get are Ice and Dark. Poppi QTpie does not count as she is a Quest Blade. So, should i make him Dark or Ice? Or Fire, because he is the only Titan to breathe fire apparently? Even though the Team already has 3 Blades with Fire in them.**

**On a different note, P5R releases this week in Japan. Move aside Makoto, i have a new Waifu!**

***Feels 3 glares coming at him***

**A new Waifu in P5! Dont worry girls, you are my favourite.**

**Pyra: Thank you?**

**Nia: Whatever.**

**?: Well at least i appear in a sort of way.**

**Nia: Who the hell are you?**

**Pyra: *Gasps* You're...!**

**SHHHHH! DONT SPOIL IT! We arent even CLOSE to that part of the story!.**


	7. Scars

**I HAVE RETURNED! With the release of Definitive edition, i got the inspiration i needed to write a chapter. So here it is!**

**RedBurningDragon- Yeah i wish we could have seen more beast-type Blades besides Dromarch and the common one.**

**Luckenhaft- Huh... thats actually a nice weapon to have. I might have to think about it..**

**Anyway, here is the update you have been waiting for!**

* * *

After my little outburst, we continued through the plains, occasionally fighting some of the wildlife who thought we would be prey. Little did they know they would be my dinner. Pyra kep looking at me while we were walking. At first, i thought it was because of my little outburst with Nia, but i think there is something more.

We were almost at Torigoth when suddendly, the ground started to shake.

"What is happening!?" Pyra asked.

"Is it an earthquake!?" Rex asked.

"Shit!" Me and Nia said. I grabbed Pyra while Nia grabbed Rex and we ducked under one of the roots.

"Raiden, what is…" Rex said, before i covered his mouth. I put my finger near my mouth, telling him to be quiet.

A few seconds later, a giant monkey-like creature passed where we were. One of its hands alone was bigger than any of us. After it passed and was a reasonable distance away, i uncovered his mouth. Me and Nia sighed in relief.

"Raiden, what the hell was that!?" Rex whispered, trying not to make a noise.

"That was Territorial Robart. Probably one of worst things you can encounter in Gormott." I explained.

"Yep. You go in a fight up against that, you either become its next meal or you leave without a few limbs." Nia finished. "Though i am suprised you know of him, Raiden. I thought you said you were only in the forest and if memory serves me right, the Robart never left the plains."

_Shit. _I thought to myself. _My PTSD of this guy just had to kick in, huh? And Nia glare is not helping. Why did i have to open my big mouth!? _"Well, it was true i never left the forest. But one time, i was looking for a few items to sell and something fell from the sky. It was the Robart. Something probably caved in and made him lose his footing. He was confused, but when he looked at me, he probably thought i did something. He jumped at me. Luckily, i was able to dodge. I knew i couldnt beat him, so i did the most obvious thing."

"Which was….?" Nia asked.

At this point, we already left the root and quietly walked towards Torigoth. We were currently on the stone path.

"I threw a rock at him, hit his eye and while he was distracted, ran like hell." I said.

Everyone widened their eyes at this.

"You… you threw a rock at him?" Nia said shocked. I nodded. "I dont know if i should laugh at your stupidity or be suprised you're still alive."

"It seems you are drawn to dangerous situations, Master Raiden." Dromarch said.

"Tell me about it. Back home, he used to explore the Titans and would sometimes come home all covered in sand and scratches." Rex said.

"Oh, like you wouldnt do anything different. I once caught you trying to sneak out of the village to follow me." I said.

"Yeah, Aunt Corrine was not happy about that one." Rex said. Me and Rex started shivering at those memories. Corrine is a scary woman if you make her angry.

"But, i suppose its true. Adventure is my girlfriend and danger is my mistress…" I said.

"…and neither of them have sex with you." Nia said, her usual smirk on her face.

"You just had to ruin my moment, didnt you?" I said, my head down.

She chuckled. "We're here." She said.

* * *

"So this is Torigoth…" Rex muttered as everyone looked at the town, except me for obvious reasons

"It hasnt changed a bit…" Nia said, looking down.

"Nia?" Pyra said.

"Right. Ill show you to an inn. Then i'm…" Nia stopped her sentence as she looked away from us.

I sighed. "Lets get to an inn and we can discuss this later." I said. Nia looked at me and nodded.

Though there wasnt going to be much of a discussion…

We all passed the entrance to Torigoth. I smirked as we passed the wanted posters and Nia slowly backed up.

"What the bloody hell is this!?" Nia said in disbelief.

"A remarkable likeness to say the least…" Dromarch joked.

"Oi, did you say something!?" Nia said and i could swear her eyes were shining.

"Er, no…" Dromarch started sweating. "I believed they have confused our appearances."

"Yeah, more like this a drawing if you and Nia had a baby and that baby was run over by a Titan." I said. I looked to the side and saw Rex grinning like a madman and Pyra smiling in amusement.

Nia then hissed and destroyed the paper.

"You know destroying one of these isnt going to help. There are probably a hundreds of these…" I said before i stopped talking under Nia glare. I always forget how women can be scary.

"Look at it this way, Nia. With this poster, now we arent going to draw anymore attention." Pyra said.

"Uh, Pyra i think you attract the wrong kind of attention…" I muttered before we continued forth.

"Who has the courage to heed the Empire call? Your strong heart will build a strong Mor Ardain tomorrow! Of course, you get more than a salary! Pension and benefits are included! Distinguish yourself and you could even join the nobility! For the glory of the Ardainian Empire and His Majesty Emperor Niall! Come now! Who wants to be the hero of tomorrow!?"

"I bet you that guy had to write that a hundred times before coming up with the right speech." I said.

"Whats the deal over there?" Rex asked.

"Oh you know, a fish sale." I sarcastically said. Rex looked at me with confusion on his face. "I was being sarcastic Rex. Its Driver recruitment."

"Driver recruitment?" Rex repeated.

"Recently, the've been recruiting Drivers from all over." Nia said.

"The pool of potentials is ever shrinking. They must have run out of candidates in the military." Dromarch added.

"What do you mean by 'potentials'? Im not sure i follow." Rex said, confused.

I groaned. "Rex, do you even remember things i taught you?" I asked.

Rex scratched the back of his head. "I may have doze off in a few of them." He said.

I sighed. "Just look." I said. An older boy was going towards the soldiers, while a bunch of younger kids tried to stop him. I couldnt really hear what they were saying, but since i played the game, i know what they said, and even if i hadnt, its obvious what is happening.

"Why are those kids stopping him?" Rex asked.

"They don't want to risk losing their brother." Nia answered.

"I think i understand. No kid wants to see their brother join the army and probably not see him again." Rex answered.

"Thats not it, Rex." I said.

"Huh?" Rex said in confusion.

"Just watch." I simply said.

A gruff man pushed through the kids and the older boy. I almost reached for my sword, but i stopped since i know what was going to happen next. The man placed his hand on the crystal, before he started spasming as he began to shine.

"Well, he's done for." Nia said.

"Rest in pieces." I said as the man screamed.

Oh god, sometimes i forget this isnt the game and actual blood exists in this place. It looked like every vein in his body popped as blood exploded from his body as his limp body fell to the ground.

"W-What just happened?" Rex asked. "So much blood…"

"Couldn't handle the Core Crystal power." Nia said.

"Thats what happens when someone unqualified touches the Core Crystal power." Dromarch answered. "Truly lamentable."

"Wait, you need qualification to be a Driver?" Rex asked.

"Its not exactly that. It takes more than brute strength to be a Driver." I said as i pointed at the boy from before. He touched the Core Crystal and he began to shine as a spear appeared. Then, a figure that looked like a robot appeared. The boy cheered as everyone applauded him.

"The Core Crystal turned into a weapon?" Rex asked.

"Thats how Blades are born." I said.

"But Pyra was already active when i saw her…" Rex tried to say, before Nia interrupted him

"She's a special case. Pyra is the Aegis. Most rules dont apply to her, okay?" Nia said.

"What even is the Aegis?" Rex asked. "Jin and Malos kept calling her that."

"The Aegis is a legendary blade. From what i read, she was part of a 500 years ago." I explained.

"A war?" Rex said confused. "What kind of war?"

"I cant tell you. Ill tell you if Pyra wants to, but other than that, my mouth is shut." I said.

"Come on, lets get moving. No point sticking around looking at the ceremony and all of that boring stuff." Nia said. We began walking, and i could feel Pyra still looking at me.

* * *

We went around the place, since the crowd was blocking the entrance. Nia and Dromarch were explaining Rex how Blades worked. And Pyra stare was beginning to annoy me. I stopped and narrowed my eyes at Pyra. "Okay, what is wrong with you?" I asked Pyra.

"Raiden?" Rex asked confused.

"You've been staring at me before we even arrived at the city. If you got something to say, spill it." I said.

"Pyra? Whats he talking about?" Nia asked.

Pyra looked at everyone and closed her eyes and sighed. "I was waiting for us to be alone, but might as well ask now." She looked at me in the eyes. "Raiden, did you ever try to resonate with a Core Crystal?"

I flinched. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her. "Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"Last night, when you were about to change, i noticed a few scars on your body. I thought it was from a battle, but i can feel a trace of ether coming from you." She said.

"Now that you mention it…" Dromarch sniffed the air. "I do smell a faint trace of ether coming from you, Master Raiden. And i don't believe its from the Core Crystal on your chest…"

Now it was Nia turn to narrow her eyes. "Raiden, take off your shirt." She said.

"Woah, at least let buy me dinner first." I joked, but from Nia expression, i can tell she wasnt amused.

"Raiden, what are they talking about?" Rex asked, confused.

"Rex…" I began. "Remember that day an adventurer came to our home, and he was carrying me?" I asked.

Rex nodded. "Yeah, you were covered in blood and injuries. You said you were ambushed by the wildlife there." Rex said, before he widened his eyes. "Wait a minute, you didnt…"

"Yep." I took off my jacket and moved my shirt up, not taking it off. Everyone gasped as my upper body was filled with large scars. It didnt appear in my arms, only on my chest and stomach. "I found a Core Crystal and thought of resonating with it. I didnt think i would be rejected so easily."

Nia took a few steps closer and touched her hand along the scars. "Does it still hurt?" She asked.

"It only stings when i take a shower." I said.

Nia kept inspecting my scars. "I dont know how you're even alive. With these many injuries, you should have bleed to death." Nia said.

"You nearly gave Aunt Corrine a heart attack when she saw you all bloody." Rex said. "And you gave the kids nightmares for weeks."

"You're very lucky to be alive, Master Raiden. And very foolish to try and resonate with Master Pyra if you already knew you were incompatible." Dromarch said.

"Well i had to try." I said, before i realized something and looked at Pyra. "Wait, you said you saw me take my clothes off?"

"Yeah." Pyra answered.

"So you were checking me out, huh?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

Pyra face turned as red as her suit. "N-NO! It-Its not like that! I-I was merely surprised by your scars and i wanted to see if you had any more scars." Pyra defended herself.

"Hmmm, and did you stop looking when you didnt find any?" I asked with a cheeky grin.

"Abdujes…" Pyra opened her mouth, but only gibberish came out. We all chuckled.

"Looks like Pyra is interested in you, Raiden. Should i tell Aunt Corrine to be expecting some grandkids?" Rex asked. This time, i blushed and Dromarch and Rex laughed at me.

"Though it appears its not only Master Pyra that has taken a liking to your body, Master Raiden." Dromarch said.

"Hmmm?" I looked down and noticed Nia was still touching my body, specifically my abs. Only this time, "Uhhh Nia, i appreciate the physical exam, but don't you think you should buy me dinner first?" I said the same joke, to see if i could get a reaction

"Huh?" Nia seemed to have realized what she was doing as her face turned as red as Pyra's and jumped away. "Ah! I-Its not like that, dumbass! I-I was just trying to see if i could find more scars!"

"Suuuuure you were…" i said as i put my shirt and jacket back on

Before the conversation could continue any further, they were interrupted. "Halt! Nobody move!"

A bunch of soldiers appeared from both sides. One of them had a bigger helme, menaing he was the leader.

"Oh great, imperial troops…" I groaned.

"Fantastic…" Nia groaned as well.

"What is going on?" Rex asked.

"That fugitive in your company is an enemy of the state! A member of Torna!" The leader said.

"Nia? A member of Torna?" Rex said confused.

I sighed. "The guys that hired you, Rex… Seriously, you should at least know the name of the number one terrorist group in Alrest"

"It's her all right. Gormotti driver, white-beast form Blade. She looks like exactly wanted poster." The leader said.

"I think we saw different posters then because she doesn't look anything like one at the entrance." I said.

"Oh really? Take a look for yourself!" He took out a wanted poster that had the same picture as the one from the entrance.

"Wow, it really does look like-" Rex was about to joke, before Nia interrutpted him.

"Oi, watch it!" She said.

"Meh, the real thing is much more beautiful…" I commented.

"Thank the Architect someone has… wait…" Nia said before it registered as she looked at me with wide eyes, blushing. "WHAT!?"

Apparently, everyone else heard as well as they looked at me. I instantly blushed. "N-NOTHING! You heard nothing!"

"I see. It appears the criminal has seduced one of the Drivers-"

"I DID WHAT!?"

"-although i don't exactly recognize your Blade. Whats your regsitration number?"

"I don't know. Whats your mum phone number?" I said with a cheeky grin.

"You little…!" The leader said with gritted teeth. "Fine. If you're going to joke around, that means you don't have a registration number. All Drivers must register with Indol. Therefore, you're an illegal, unregistered Driver! You're coming with me! We'll see what the consul has to say about this!"

Everyone got into battle positions.

"Raiden, Rex. When me and Dromarch make out move, you two make a run for it." Nia whispered.

"No way we're leaving without you." Rex said.

"This is our problem, not yours." Nia insisted.

"Considering i just roasted that guy, im pretty sure im getting arrested as well, so im not exactly innocent in this." I said as i drew my sword. "Besides, what kind of friend would i be if i left you here alone?"

"You… think of me as a friend?" Nia said surprised.

"Well we fought, traveled and had fun all together. In my eyes, you're someone precious to me. And i'll always protect those precious to me." I said.

Nobody saw it, but Nia blushed a bit. "Sheesh, you're definitely brothers, all right. Both can make speeches and are too stubborn to listen."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Me and Rex said at the same time.

"All right. On three, we pounce. Raiden, you go right while me and Rex go left." Nia said.

"Just give the word." Pyra said.

"One…"

"Wait, you're actually resisting!?" The leader said, scared.

"Two…" Rex drew his sword as well.

"Three!" The three jumped towards their respective enemies and Nia couldn't help but think.

_Maybe being around them won't be so bad after all._

* * *

**I knew i said the next chapter would include the fight, but i think its best to leave it to the next chapter. See you in 5 months or whenever i feel like updating! XD**


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